In a significant boost to the Sri Lankan cricket squad, great spin bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has come out of test retirement. The 26-year-old retired from tests on August 15, 2023, to concentrate on white-ball and franchise cricket. However, after his retirement announcement, Sri Lanka has only played one test match.
The white-ball phase of Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh ended recently, with the visitors winning the T20I series 2-1 and the hosts winning the ODI series 2-1. Following the conclusion of the white-ball leg, both sides will compete in a two-match test series from March 22 to April 3.
Wanindu Hasaranga has been nominated to Sri Lanka’s 17-man squad for the two-match test series, which begins on March 22, 2024. The series will take place during the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, in which Sri Lanka has yet to compete.
Dhananjaya de Silva, the freshly named new test captain, will lead the squad, with Kusal Mendis serving as his deputy. Veteran cricketers Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, and Dinesh Chandimal have all found a place in the squad.
Sri Lanka squad for Bangladesh tests:
Dhananjaya De Silva (C), Kusal Mendis (Vc), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Gunasekara.
Wanindu Hasaranga will miss the first few meetings for SRH in IPL 2024.
Hasaranga will also miss a few IPL 2024 games for his Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) side. SRH paid 1.5 crores for Hasaranga in the IPL 2024 mini-auction held in December 2023.
SRH will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders on March 23, followed by a match against five-time champions Mumbai Indians on March 27th. Their third encounter will be on March 31 against the Gujarat Titans. Their fourth encounter of the season will be against Chennai Super Kings on April 5, two days after the completion of Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh, and we may see Hasaranga make his debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
